"Nipples for Christmas" is a comic, character-driven short film, centered around a young woman's experience as a 27-year-old breast cancer patient. Adapted from Jenna Dioguardi’s autobiographical solo play, the short will serve as a proof-of-concept for a feature-length film. Building on the public-facing life of director Kim Blanck's debut short, "Gloria," a film about dementia that screened at film festivals and in community settings, this project is designed to connect with a wide audience through accessible, engaging storytelling. With support from Tribeca Studios’ Vital Stories initiative and a planned festival run, the goal is to share the film widely, spark conversation around women’s health, and build toward expansion into the feature film.
A note from the creators:
We met in 2012 performing in a musical sketch comedy show on Saturday nights at the People's Improv Theater in NYC. A decade later, in 2021, we reconnected under more serious circumstances. Jenna was 27, newly diagnosed with breast cancer & days away from a double mastectomy, while Kim was the sole caregiver to her mother, a few months into her battle against pancreatic cancer. We traded stories of how cancer had radically altered us as people - both self-described "women in control," our experiences forced us to become more compassionate and curious individuals - survivors who now see a wisdom in understanding how little any of us control.
A breast cancer journey is so much more than what it looks like to the outside world. Traditionally, the stories we see portrayed on screen present a stereotypical, generalized look at a cancer patient. We hope to highlight the reality that just because someone may not "look" like they've experienced a trauma, that doesn't mean it hasn't happened to them. Holding the gratitude for survival alongside the disorientation of continuing to live inside a body you no longer recognize is a duality often left unexplored.
The type of "cancer story" we wish to tell is one laced with humor and centered on a relationship between mother and daughter. It is ultimately a story in which a young woman learns that her cancer is not something that can be wholly overcome; it will always be with her. We hope to enlighten those who may not understand this experience, as well as create community for others who have gone through - and are still going through - something similar.